Tony Comper is President and Chief Executive Officer of BMO Financial Group. He was appointed CEO in February 1999, and served as Chairman from July 1999 to May 2004, when a non-executive Chairman was appointed. In over three decades with the bank, Mr. Comper has served in virtually all its major operating areas.

Mr. Comper began his career at BMO in 1967 after obtaining a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Toronto. He worked in the bank's domestic branches and later, in the Personnel Department. In 1971 Mr. Comper joined the Operations and Systems Group where he played a major role in the evolution of the bank's nation-wide, real-time computer system, an industry-leading innovation at the time. Mr. Comper was subsequently appointed Vice-President of Systems Development.

In 1982 he was promoted to Senior Vice-President, Personal Banking, and later served as Senior Vice-President and Manager of the bank's branch in London, England. He returned to Canada in 1986 as Senior Vice-President and Senior Marketing Officer, Corporate and Government Banking. Subsequently promoted to Executive Vice-President, Operations, in 1989 he was appointed Chief General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. He was first appointed President in 1990.

Mr. Comper serves on the Board of Directors of Bank of Montreal, and of its subsidiaries, Harris Financial Corp., Harris Trust and Savings Bank, and BMO Nesbitt Burns Corporation Limited. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Monetary Conference. He is Vice-Chair of the C.D. Howe Institute and is a Director of the C.D. Howe Memorial Foundation. He is also a Director of Catalyst, New York, and Chair of Catalyst's Canadian Board of Advisors. He is also Chair of the Corporate Advisory Board of The Learning Partnership, a Member of the Women in Capital Markets Advisory Council and a Member of the North American Policy Committee of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.

Mr. Comper serves as Chair of the Campaign for the University of Toronto, is past Chairman of the university's Governing Council and former Vice-Chair of St. Michael's Hospital. He is a member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council of the Mayor of Beijing, the Board of Governors of Junior Achievement of Toronto and York Region, the Board of Governors of Junior Achievement of Canada, the Board of Governors of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, and the Governance Advisory Board of the Conference Board of Canada/Spencer Stuart National Award. He also serves as Honorary Chair of the Fountain of Hope, the Employee Foundation of BMO Financial Group and as Honorary Chair of the Board of Governors of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care.

In 1998, Mr. Comper received the Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. He received the Award of Merit from B'nai Brith Canada in 2003. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Toronto (LL.D.) and Mount Saint Vincent University (D.Hum.L.).

Mr. Comper is married to Elizabeth and enjoys golf, classical music, the theatre and art.

(April 2004)

T. Comper (high resolution picture, jpg, 1634k)